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Connecting employers with skilled migrant labour

RDA Northern Inland Executive Officer Nathan Axelsson and Skilled Migration Project Officer Gary Fry, encouraging employers in need and recently arrived skilled migrants to post on the new regional jobs board.
RDA Northern Inland Executive Officer Nathan Axelsson and Skilled Migration Project Officer Gary Fry, encouraging employers in need and recently arrived skilled migrants to post on the new regional jobs board.

Helping local employers with recruitment difficulties and skilled migrants to connect is the aim of a new Regional Development Australia Northern Inland (RDANI) project; the Skilled Migration Jobs Board.

“When a local employer cannot find the skilled workers they need, they can struggle to keep the status quo, let alone grow. That is why the skilled migration projects of RDANI are so vital,” Chair Russell Stewart said.

“We are all for Australian jobs for Australians but that’s just a nice sounding slogan when employers struggle to find people with the right skills, qualifications and experience that they need.”

“When an organisation has reduced functionality or a business cannot grow because of the skills shortage, regional economic development is impacted,” he said.

RDANI brings skilled migrants to the region under the Skilled Regional State Nominated 489 sub-class visa, with the Northern Inland one of the most popular regional destinations for skilled migrants in the State. “In order to apply, skilled migrants must meet the requirements for an occupation on our regional demand-based list. Skills and English language proficiency must be assessed,” Skilled Migration Project Officer Gary Fry said. 

“Highly professional skilled migrants have come here and failed to connect with the employers who cannot fill a needed position with local labour because they are so unfamiliar with the local jobs market and our industries. That is something we are working to address,” Mr. Fry said.

With support from the NSW State Government, RDANI has set up the Skilled Migration Jobs Board Northern Inland. Employers with recruitment difficulties and skilled migrants in the Northern Inland region can join this Facebook group, submit a post and connect with each other.

“We are calling on employers who have difficulty filling their positions to join and submit posts. They do not have to have a current vacancy,” said Mr. Fry. “If employers regularly need a certain type of skilled worker, they can submit a post calling for expressions of interest from people with a required skill-set.”

These 489 visa recipients have full work entitlements but their visa is classified as ‘temporary’. It is actually a pathway to permanent residency, which can only be achieved after they have lived in a regional or low-growth part of Australia for two years and worked full-time equivalent hours for one year,” he said.

“From the Liverpool Plains Shire to the Moree Plains Shire, from tradespeople to health professionals, skilled migration has been a win-win. Skilled migrants are looking to continue their careers in Northern Inland NSW, while our employers need the skills to get the job done. Skilled migration is economically and socially enriching our communities. The new Skilled Migration Jobs Board can further improve those outcomes.”

To go to the Skilled Migration Jobs Board Northern Inland Facebook Group, click HERE

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